The Hemis Festival is one of the biggest festivals of Ladakh and a great time for tourists to visit as well as for the locals. It is a two-day festival that falls on the tenth day of the Tibetan lunar month. This festival marks the birth anniversary of the spiritual leader Padmasambhava, the leader who started the Tibetan Tantric Buddhism.
The major festivities take place at the courtyard of Hemis-Gompa which the largest Buddhist monastery in Ladakh. The festival is started by the head priest and the local people gather together attired in conventional Tibetan outfits. Vibrant and festive masquerades are carried out and the monks play longhorns, drums and cymbals to grace the festival adorned in vivid brocade dresses and outfits with tinted masks.
Cham dance is also performed by the priests who are also called chams in which the movements are slow and expressions are riveting. The Padmasambhava dance is also performed in this festival.
The festival typically falls in the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar and is in the month of June or beginning of July. The fiesta and frenzy last for 2-3 days.